Summing Up

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Don Merritt

Acts 9:32-43

In the beginning, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached in Jerusalem, and as it was preached thousands came to believe the Gospel and followed the Way. Yet, this was not to be a local thing, and God forced the message out of the city and into the surrounding region by means of persecution, and many more came to hear and believe the message of salvation in Christ. When the right time came, Jesus personally met the instigator of this persecution, Saul of Tarsus, on the road to Damascus, where Saul intended to continue his persecution. As a result of this meeting, Saul believed, and turned to Christ, ending the persecution. This section gives us two very vivid examples of what was going on in the region where the Gospel was preached, examples that remind us of what happened when Jesus Himself took His message of the Kingdom of heaven to the people.

The first of these examples falls within Acts 9:32-38 and involves a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Peter found him and healed him by the authority of Jesus Christ, with the result that many more came to believe his message.

The second involved a woman named Tabitha who lived in a nearby community (9:39-43). She was widely known as a good and godly woman who served the needs of others in a way that endeared her to her community; sadly, she had fallen sick and died. Having heard that Peter was in the vicinity, messengers were dispatched to ask him to come at once, which he did.  Upon his arrival, Peter found Tabitha laid out in a room full of mourners who told him about all the generous and kind things she had done in their midst.

Peter asked that the room be cleared and began to pray over Tabitha; she awoke, and Peter led her, very much alive, out to greet the others. Needless to say, the news of this was electric throughout the town…

During the ministry of Jesus, He took the message of the Kingdom to the common people, and wherever He went, the Kingdom was preached, the sick were made well, the lame were healed, sight was restored to the blind, and impure spirits were driven out. Jesus was the very embodiment of the Kingdom, and He prepared His disciples to take His place when their time came, and in our story, their time had indeed come; now, they were the embodiments of the Kingdom, and where they went, the results were the same as when Jesus had gone before them.

Yet as amazing as this was, God was only just in the beginning phases of executing His eternal plans, and as we will soon see, a whole new chapter was about to begin…

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Pessimist or Optimist?

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Don Merritt

The 53rd Psalm can be taken as either pessimistic or optimistic.  It begins with a rather pessimistic view of men; there’s nobody doing right and ends with the hope of salvation.

Salvation has come in the person of Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross…

The fool says in his heart,
    “There is no God.” 
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

God looks down from heaven 
    on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand, 
    any who seek God.

Psalm 53:1-2

These first two verses set up the context: People don’t believe God, and the result is that they don’t behave well.  God looks down on the earth to see if there is anyone who seeks Him.  In the Psalm verses three and four are quite pessimistic; nobody is seeking Him and nobody is righteous; there is nothing but dread.  The last two verses reveal that this will be corrected and that God and His people will prevail against evil… but this was written in David’s day!

If we would go back to the first two verses today what would God see?

The simple answer is that He would see a dark world full of “fools” who deny His existence.  He would see a plague of evil and lies that often seem unstoppable and overwhelming…

…And He will see millions who, like so many of you dear readers are earnestly seeking Him, who are not afraid to boldly proclaim His truth and glory to all the world right here on the worldwide web. He would see people who are at the forefront of the Gospel, fighting the good fight for Jesus Christ, proclaiming His Kingdom and doing the work that He has asked us to do.

Are we pessimists or optimists?  For myself, I can truly say that I am a little bit of both.  When I look out there and see the world of men for what it truly is, I am pessimistic for its future, for it will come to judgment.  However, when I read and follow what so many of you are doing on the web, I am so very optimistic that God’s people will continue to spread the Gospel, glorify God; many are coming to salvation because of your efforts and those of many others that we may never  even know about.

When I weigh the two, I am overwhelmed by optimism, for whatever our poor world may insist upon putting itself through, God will prevail, His Word will prevail and the people fo God will inherit the blessings that our Lord has promised for us.

Praise be to God!

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God’s Provision

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Don Merritt

God will provide for our needs; this is something most people know, but some become a little confused by it.

The statement does not mean that all we need to do sit on our chairs and wait for Him to give us what we need or desire, but it does mean that He is more than just mindful of our situations.   Consider the following passage from Matthew 7:

 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 7:9-12

Did you notice something odd about the passage?

Yes, this is from the Sermon on the Mount, and this particular passage comes within a fuller context of 7:7-12 and is about God answering prayer and providing for us.  The odd part is that Jesus added the “Golden Rule” (v. 12) at the end of this, and that is set up as a summing up. Isn’t that interesting?

There’s a connection between the two, God’s provision and answering of prayer and the manner in which we treat other people.  It seems to me that this connection is twofold:

First, secure in the knowledge that God will answer prayer and provide, we need not, in fact must not envy others who appear to us to be in better shape than we are in the area of our need.

Second, God’s children always put others first. Jesus always served God by serving others in a way that advanced God’s purpose and so must we.  The Golden Rule simply puts this into words.

What God will not do for us is to answer our selfish prayers to put us at advantage over others, for this is not the way of lovet. Thus, we learn that serving God in humility is our proper response to a gracious God, and that His provision will ensure that putting others first will not leave us alone and destitute.

What an awesome and amazing God we have and serve!

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Our Awesome God

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Don Merritt

The other day, Bette Cox left a comment on one of my photos that was truly inspirational, even though it might seem odd at first. Her observation was about God’s incredible attention to detail, and she brought up as an example the complexity of leaves; of edges of leaves. I’m sure most all of us have noticed leaves, their shades of color, their shapes, and interior structure being seen as light passes through… but the edge of a leaf?

I have to admit that until Bette mentioned leaf edges; I really hadn’t ever paid them much attention.

Yet as I thought about it, I realized that if the Designer hadn’t gotten the edges just right, leaves wouldn’t work at all; they’d just dry up and drop off before they could even be fully formed, and then… the animal kingdom, including you and me, couldn’t exist.

If you allow your mind to wander through the creation, just the little things, not the usual big ones… the magnitude of the craftsmanship of the Creator, His attention to tiny, sometimes even invisible details is beyond comprehension; how can we not just sit back in almost a childish state of wonder?

I don’t know about you, but when I ponder such things, my head usually turns to mush; and that is when it usually hits me (yet again) that there is something even more amazing that all of that: The very same God who created the universe in all of its infinite vastness, as well in its finite smallness, with attention to every tiny, minute detail, knows my name, and wants relationship with me, and of course, the same goes for you as well.

How can that be?

Isn’t that just the most amazing thing of all?

WOW!

 

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Whose Side Are You On?

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Don Merritt

Acts 9:20-31

After Saul regained his strength, he began to move about Damascus; he started preaching the Gospel in the synagogues there, to the amazement of everyone. His preaching became more and more powerful, and he taught that Jesus was the Son of God fearlessly, yet people were confused because it was common knowledge that he was the number-one persecutor of Christ’s followers.

His message was effective, Luke tells us that Saul proved “that Jesus is the Messiah”; the Jews in Damascus began to plot his murder.

Saul also seemed to have his problems with the believers, who feared him, yet he had gained enough confidence in the believing community for some of them to secrete him out of the city to escape the Jewish plots against him, and he traveled back to Jerusalem. Upon his arrival in that city, Saul attempted to join with the believers who remained, but they were having none of it, since they knew exactly who he was and what he had done to their brethren there; who can blame them?

Yet Barnabas stood up for Saul, telling the church what had happened on the Damascus road, how Saul had been converted by Jesus Himself, and how he had preached so boldly the name of Jesus in Damascus, and how he had come to be in Jerusalem. Apparently, the believers in Jerusalem more or less accepted Saul after that, but I can’t help wondering if some them might still have harbored their suspicions. In any case, Saul moved about town preaching about Jesus, debating with his colleagues, and getting into a bit of a tiff with the Hellenistic Jews, who hatched a murderous plot against him; again murder for righteousness sake!

When the disciples heard of the plot, they once again secrete Saul out of town, and send him off to Tarsus, no doubt relieved to have him gone. It is at this point in his narrative that Luke says something wonderful:

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. (9:31)

Saul, now a Christian, was gone from the region; the persecution had ended, at least for now, and peace reigned once again. The people no longer lived in fear of persecution, they no longer lived in fear of Saul; they lived in the “fear of the Lord” instead. Thus rather than fleeing for their lives, they lived in humble submission to God and the church was strengthened and the numbers of the redeemed increased. As I read these verses, I can’t help reflecting upon the fact that when Stephen addressed the Sanhedrin back in chapter seven, they went berserk, but it was Saul who took up the persecution, and now that Saul is no longer leading it, it dies out and peace returns to the region. Stephen seems to have been the catalyst, and Saul the instrument for God to spread the Gospel out of Jerusalem and into the surrounding region, just as Jesus had said that they would preach the Gospel first in Jerusalem and then in “all Judea and Samaria”. In the next passage, Luke tells us about the kinds of things that went on during this period, about some of the amazing things Peter was up to, and about some of the amazing people he encounters…

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Saul Meets Jesus

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Don Merritt

Acts 9:1-19

Luke has been telling us about the road trip adventures of Phillip, and now it would seem that Saul is about to hit the road as well. He has continued his persecution of the disciples in Jerusalem, and now he wants to make this outrage part of a road show, so he went to the chief priest for permission and gets it. As he was travelling towards Damascus with his goal more or less in sight, he has an encounter on the road that would change his life entirely, for he runs into none other than the risen Christ (9:1-1-3). Jesus, in a very bright light has a question for old Saul:

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. (9:4-5)

There is great significance in these verses, for Saul was out persecuting Christians, but Jesus, the risen Savior who sits at God’s right hand, sees things quite differently for in His eyes, Saul is persecuting the very One by whose Word the entire universe is held together. Notice, that Jesus says so here in both verse four and verse five. It was a fact in Saul’s day and it is a fact today, that anyone who persecutes the followers of Christ is persecuting Jesus Himself, and though I can take no real pleasure in saying so, they, will suffer for it.

You all know the story from here; Saul’s companions must lead him by the hand the rest of the way into town, for Saul has lost his sight. There they are to wait at a certain house for further instructions. Those instructions are actually given to a man named Ananias, who receives his instructions with some trepidation:

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (9:11-16)

I think Ananias’ concern was very reasonable, don’t you? Yet Jesus has a plan for this Saul of Tarsus, and Ananias had a vital role in bringing His plan to fruition, and he obeys the Lord immediately, reminding us of the previous account of how Phillip did exactly what he was told to do. Saul’s sight is restored, Ananias baptizes him, and he rests up for what might come next, and we will see what that ends up being next time…

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Heretics, Murder and Brotherly Love

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Don Merritt

Here is something I posted yesterday on Church Set Free; if you haven’t seen it, please check it out!

Don Merritt's avatarChurch Set Free

A few weeks back I watched “The Tudors” again on Netflix. OK fine, you got me; I binge-watched it!

I had actually seen it some years ago, but enough time had passed so that it was almost like the first time again. As I watched the story of Henry VIII unfold, I was struck with a great sense of thankfulness that I live now and not back then; what a terrible time it was. I must add that I am also thankful that when America was established, our founders went to such great lengths to ensure that no such tyranny could happen here; and so far, their precautions have worked.

Yet more than anything else, I was impressed with the complete lack of understanding that people, at least those in leadership, had of what the Christian faith is all about. To be sure, this is not a Protestant versus Catholic…

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Phillip on a Road Trip

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Don Merritt

Acts 8:26-40

In this scene, Phillip has gone from Samaria, and is travelling south on the “desert” road between Jerusalem and Gaza. While many scholars would use this as a time to float theories about which road he took toward Gaza, we might find it more interesting to look at why he went on this particular road trip: An angel of the Lord came to him and told him to go. There are plenty of instances recorded in the Scriptures that tell of an angel of the Lord coming to someone and telling them to do something, and we might even see this often enough not to question it, but if we step back and take another look, we will realize that this really doesn’t happen very often; in fact it is rare enough that these incidents are recorded in Scripture. To put it another way, this was a big deal.

Phillip obeys the angel’s command and heads south.

While on the road, Phillip sees an Ethiopian royal official, a eunuch as it happens. In many ancient cultures, palace officials above a certain rank were made eunuchs so that they could not father a child, and thus were not able to be a challenger for the throne, so great was their authority over the kingdom. We can infer that this may well have been a royal procession with many servants, guards and chariots. Once again the angel speaks to Phillip, and once again he obeys and approaches the chariot.

Walking alongside the chariot, Phillip discovers that the official is reading from Isaiah 53, the “suffering servant” passage (Is. 53:7-8). Let’s think about this for a moment; if you are on an evangelistic expedition, and you come upon someone reading that particular passage of Scripture, earnestly trying to comprehend its meaning, wouldn’t you see an almost unbelievable opportunity?

That angel was pretty smart, wouldn’t you say?

The eunuch actually asks Phillip to tell him who Isaiah was talking about, and invites him to ride in the chariot with him, and Phillip is only too happy to help. In the course of their conversation, Phillip just happens to tell the man all about Jesus…

The text doesn’t give us the details of this conversation, instead it skips to the thrill-packed conclusion: The man requests that Phillip baptize him when a body of water comes into view, and orders the procession halted. They step out of the chariot and into the water where the Ethiopian official is immersed in the waters of baptism. Then, Luke offers us a somewhat cryptic text:

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (8:39-40)

What just happened here?

What we know for certain is that Phillip baptized the man into Christ, and then left the scene. The eunuch went on his way rejoicing, that is clear, and Phillip was next seen in Azotus. Was Phillip transported there supernaturally? Many scholars think so. Did the Spirit lead him to be on his way immediately, and Phillip left under his own power? Many other scholars think so.

As for me, I don’t know how Phillip got to Azotus, but I do know that all through this passage, Phillip was responsive to God’s leading, and that as a result, others came to salvation in Jesus Christ, and God was glorified. The inference I take from this story is that we too, must be responsive to God’s leading so that others will be saved and God will be glorified though us.

When we return to Luke’s narrative next time, we will find out what that rascal Saul has been up to…

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A Strange Man in Samaria

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Don Merritt

Acts 8:9-23

Luke tells us about a man named Simon who had gained quite a following because of his sorcery; it would seem that he was a master of the arts of magic. When Phillip and others came into the region, having been forced to flee the persecution in Jerusalem, and so many people accepted the Gospel, Simon came to believe in Jesus along with so many others. When the news reached the apostles, still in Jerusalem, Peter and John were dispatched to Samaria to investigate, and when they arrive, our story gets rolling in earnest.

Phillip had baptized those who came to accept the Gospel, but in spite of this, they hadn’t received the Holy Spirit even though Peter taught that if we hear the Gospel, believe in Jesus, acknowledge that Jesus is Lord repent and are baptized, we will then receive the Spirit (Acts 2:38). Why hadn’t this happened in Samaria; could it be that these unclean Samaritans can’t have the Spirit? The two apostles began laying hands upon the people, and then they received the Spirit, and of course this brings us to another question: Did the Spirit actually come through the laying on of the apostles’ hands? Did this only apply to Samaritans? Was there some other reason for this?

Then our friend Simon enters the narrative:

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (8:18-19)

My, oh my, what an enterprising businessman this Simon was! Do you suppose he wanted to add the gift of the Spirit to his magical repertoire? I can’t say what he was really thinking for sure, but it seems interesting that he wanted to pay for the ability to dispense the Spirit rather than asking for the Spirit. Ever the diplomat, Peter replied to this offer:

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.  Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (8:20-23)

It’s a little hard for us to grasp this story since we live in an age when people, at least in the West, usually don’t believe there is such a thing as sorcery or magic, other than in a Las Vegas lounge act. Apparently this Simon dude was the real deal as a sorcerer, and if that’s true, where did he get his magic? Clearly it wasn’t a gift from God, like the signs and wonders of Phillip and the apostles, so what was its source? I only know of one other place such things could have come from, and like Simon, Satan and the demons of hell believe in Jesus Christ, but they certainly do not follow Him, and it is fairly obvious from the text that Simon hadn’t even thought about repentance.

The text doesn’t say, in spite of the confidence of vast enlightenment on the part of some commentators, but I would have to suggest that the Holy Spirit had not come upon those people in Samaria yet because so many of them were actually followers of Simon, who, whether he knew it or not, was a follower of the Deceiver who directly or indirectly was the source of his power, and so naturally, they could not receive the Spirit until that situation had been rectified.

Of course, that’s only my theory; what’s yours?

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Photo of the Week: June 1, 2016

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Don Merritt

I was just noticing that I’ve probably overdone these kinds of close-ups of flowers and leaves, and I’ve recently taken dozens more like this one from Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. If you think I post too many such photos, I’m sorry about that to be sure. Yet I find myself drawn to such shots, and I will admit that I very much enjoy them. Yet my enjoyment is not so much in the subject of the photos, for to be quite honest, when I take these shots, I’m actually taking a photo of something that I think is there, but that I can’t really see in real life. What I actually see at the time is a color or shift in the lighting that I think might be “something” and then I try to frame it in a lens by best guess, and focus on whatever the anomaly I can see; I only know for sure what I’ve gotten when I upload to photos and blow them up on a large screen.

Thus, when I find that I actually have something that looks nice, is reasonably well composed and focused, at least as far as I can tell, it’s like a kind of “moral victory” over the blindness that seems to make almost everything more difficult than it should be, as though I’ve held off the beast for at least one more day.

Yes, I’ll be posting more of these,  even if only to stay in the fight; sorry if I seem to overdo it.

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